Chapter 45 Miss Qin Finds a Trouble
Before long, it was dawn. Bai Zilin went up the mountain to hunt, while Liu Ye stayed behind to watch the cart. She took out a smoked chicken from her basket, tore off a leg, and leaned against the cart to eat it. She ate it in big mouthfuls, and it tasted so delicious. When she was thirsty, she drank water, taking big gulps. Even with Bai Zilin around, she wouldn't dare to drink water like that.
Seeing that Mr. Qin and his family were also eating, they became even thirstier. Of the five apples Mr. Qin bought yesterday, there was still one left, and the two of them each ate two last night.
Master Qin broke the apple in half, ate one half himself, and gave the other half to Qin Qiaoyun: "Eat it, I'll go buy some more later."
Miss Qin took the apple, took a bite, and said with a look of disdain, "Dad, I'll go buy it from her later. The one you bought was too expensive. I have to bargain with her. We can't let her rip us off again!"
Young Master Zhao approached Master Qin with a fawning expression and said, "Uncle Qin, could you lend me two gold leaves? I'll repay you double when I get home."
Master Qin quickly smiled and said, "Oh, nephew, you're too kind. Our two families are distant relatives. Your father's second aunt's niece is my aunt's cousin. We're all family, so we don't need to be formal."
Young Master Zhao counted on his fingers and said, "Hehe, they are indeed distant relatives..."
Master Qin took out two gold leaves from the corner of his clothes and handed them to Young Master Zhao without hesitation: "Nephew, you don't need to return them. You just need to mention Uncle Qin to your father, Lord Zhao, and Uncle Qin will be extremely grateful. By the way, my daughter is still unmarried. She is 19 years old and born in the year of the sheep..."
Young Master Zhao took the gold leaf, glanced at Qin Qiaoyun with a twitch of his lips. She had a small nose and small eyes, and looked rather petty. He looked down on her: "Hehehe, nephew has remembered it..."
Qin Qiaoyun turned her face away shyly. Her father had secretly told her that this Young Master Zhao was the son of Prefect Zhao of Xiancheng, and his sister was a Noble Consort in the palace. Their family was considered to be related to the imperial family and had a distinguished background. If she could marry him, she would also be considered a member of the imperial family.
The Qin family has been merchants for generations, and they are not considered respectable by the powerful and wealthy. She must seize this opportunity.
Thinking of this, Qin Qiaoyun secretly glanced at Young Master Zhao, wanting to give him a flirtatious look, but unfortunately, Young Master Zhao didn't even look at her, leaving her with no way to use her energy, and she threw a whole bunch of spinach on the ground.
Qin Qiaoyun stamped her foot, ate the last bite of the apple in her hand, and then held out her hand to her father: "Father, give me a gold leaf."
Master Qin took out a gold leaf from the corner of his clothes, looked at her and instructed her: "Don't be unreasonable. If they are not willing to sell it to you at a lower price, you should buy it at yesterday's price. You must not offend them, otherwise they will not sell it to us."
Miss Qin snatched the gold leaf from her father's hand, turned around and went to Liu Ye. With an arrogant look on her face, she said in an unfriendly tone, "I want to buy apples, how much for one!"
Liu Ye had already heard what the father and son were saying. They were so loud, and they weren't far away. Hmph, they wanted to buy cheap? No way! "The price has gone up. Three taels of silver each. How many do you want to buy?"
Miss Qin was shocked! She thought two ounces was too expensive, but she wanted three ounces each? She really dared to ask for more!
Enraged, Miss Qin snorted and said angrily, "Hmph, you poor wretch, I think you're obsessed with money. Are your apples made of gold or silver? They're three taels of silver each! Aren't you just taking advantage of my misfortune? No way, I'll buy them for one tael of silver each. Otherwise, I'll make sure you can't sell a single one. You'd better not offend me!"
Liu Ye put her hands on her hips, striking a pose that suggested she wasn't to be trifled with, but her words were soft and gentle: "I decide what's mine. I can sell it for whatever price I want. Three taels of silver for an apple, take it or leave it. I've also raised the price of meat, seven taels of silver for a pound, take it or leave it. If you're not buying anything, please step aside and don't block my sun!"
When Miss Qin heard that this poor girl was actually challenging her, she thought, "Fine, then I'll teach her a lesson and show her what she's capable of!"
"Guards! Steward Qin, seize this brat! She was one of those who stole our beef. Take her things too!"
Just as Butler Qin was about to lift his foot, Master Qin shouted, "You brat, get back here! I sent you to buy things, not to rob them! Get back here right now!"
After finishing speaking, Master Qin looked at Young Master Zhao and explained apologetically, "I'm sorry, Yun'er was frightened by the bandits. She hasn't been feeling well these days. She wasn't usually so willful and capricious; she's very kind-hearted..."
Young Master Zhao smiled and nodded, thinking to himself, "I don't believe you for a second. What does it matter to me whether she's mentally sound or not? What are you trying to explain to me?"
Miss Qin stomped her feet angrily: "Father, why are you scolding me? She took advantage of the situation and raised prices again. We can't let her do whatever she wants. I really can't stand by and watch. Young Master Zhao, Young Master Li, Master Sun, Madam Sun, don't you agree with me?"
Young Master Li touched his nose with an awkward smile, then looked at Young Master Zhao with a meaningful look: "Young Master Zhao, Miss Qin is talking to you, you should answer her quickly."
Young Master Zhao glared at him, pursed his lips, and remained silent. Madam Sun stood up from the ground, adopting the air of a matriarch, and walked pretentiously to Liu Ye. Madam Sun was in her thirties, with a round and fair face. Her words were gentle but barbed: "Girl, you're selling an apple for three taels of silver, which is ridiculously expensive. If you're kind-hearted, you shouldn't sell things so expensively. I know that life is hard for you poor people. You finally get some food and want to sell it for a sky-high price so you can live a life of plenty. I understand your fear of poverty!"
"But as the old saying goes, ill-gotten gains are not to be taken, and even if you do, you won't enjoy them. The apples you have are from the mountains, a gift from God to all people. Girl, you should share them with us. Yesterday we gave you a large sum of money, enough for you and your husband to enjoy for a lifetime. You should be grateful."
"In my opinion, how about this? Our Sun family is short of servants. You and your husband can come with us. Your husband is in good shape and can be a coachman at our Sun family. Although you are a bit thin and a bit unkempt, you can be a cleaner at our family. We'll pay you the same wages as others. What do you think?"
Liu Ye thought to herself, "I'll go to hell!" She said, "I'm not going. The old lady wants to eat the shared apples, but I don't have any here. There are plenty in the mountains, they're a gift from God. You can go pick them yourself. If you want to buy my stuff, this is the price!"
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